Of course reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams would give Stanford a night they would never forget in USC's last Pac-12 matchup against their longtime rivals.
USC crushed Stanford, 56-10, to hand them a cruel farewell present with the Cardinals set to join the ACC in the 2024-25 season.
The Trojans, who will join the Big Ten next year, scored the most points they have ever scored against Stanford. According to the Los Angeles Times, the 46-point difference marked USC's biggest win over Stanford since 1977, when the Trojans won 49-0.
Standing front and center of the Trojans' romp is junior quarterback Caleb Williams, who only played one half but still managed to tear apart the Cardinals' leaky defense. Williams' superb passing may have made his teammates' jobs a lot easier, yet one USC member may have seen an uptick in his workload.
The Trojans' famed mascot, a horse named Traveler, was tasked with galloping across the sidelines whenever USC scored a touchdown.
With USC up 42-3 with five minutes left in the first half, Traveler was....very well-traveled, to say the least.
Have Mercy: USC mascot, Traveler, was exhausted by Caleb Williams' big night
Over the span of 30 minutes, Williams went 19-of-21 for 281 yards and three touchdowns against Stanford. The future top NFL pick went scorched earth against a longstanding Pac-12 rival and had the crowds leaving by halftime.
Luckily for Traveler, USC scored just one more touchdown to make it 49-3 at the end of the second quarter. The horse took a well-deserved halftime break after that.
At least Traveler didn't have to do 546 push-ups like the Oregon Duck did last week, when Oregon thrashed Portland State, 81-7.
And once -- or rather, if -- Williams enters the 2024 NFL Draft, Traveler's job may get a whole lot simpler.
